An unexpected return
by Book us Steve
Summary: One year after leaving Catherine Rollins makes an unexpected return to Hawaii. How will Steve react? No Mcroll
1. Chapter 1

**An unexpected return**

**Authors note: **we're a team of writers who wondered what it would be like for Steve and Catherine to see eachother again after ending their relationship.

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Catherine Rollins was back in Hawaii, knowing that her first stop would be at the home of Steve McGarrett. Pulling up, she put the rental car in park and stepped out. She stood there for a moment looking at the silent house. A year has passed but it looks the same, yet feels so different. It's a familiar action to walk up to the door, but there's no point in trying to get in. Knowing Steve, the alarm code has been changed at least ten times since she left. The only way in is through the backyard.

Turning the corner, she hears Steve's laugh. Smiling at the sound coming from him, she suddenly realizes just how much she missed it. But at the same time it made her frown, it meant that Steve was not alone. Who was with him? She knew Danny wasn't a morning person without two coffees and a malasada. Two more steps and she had her answer. A blonde woman was standing close to him holding two cups of coffee, waiting for him to finish drying himself off before handing him one. The woman has a smile on her face that makes Cath sad and angry at the same time.

Surprised by her own reaction to seeing them together, Cath turns to leave, feeling as if she were intruding on an intimate moment between the two of them. But before she could leave, they turned in her direction. The woman looks startled but calm while Steve still has the ghost of a smile on his lips. Realizing who was standing in front of them, his eyes grow dark, his face shutting down and putting up a neutral expression.

A sudden look of recognition crosses the blonde woman's face. "You must be Catherine, I've heard so many things about you! I'm Ellie, so nice to meet you" She walks over to Cath, extending her hand, giving Steve the time he needs to decide how to react. Startled at the warm greeting, Cath, at a loss for words, mumbles, "Hi, I'm... I was.. Nice to meet you."

"Come inside, we can sit down and have a cup of coffee." Her voice is soft with an Aussie accent, her manners warm and inviting, welcoming Cath into Steve's home as if she was an old friend of theirs. Taking Cath by the arm, Ellie led them inside as Steve numbly followed. They both stood by his dining room table, Cath plastering a smile on her face hoping to ease the tension. It didn't seem to be working.

Steve hasn't said a word yet. He stands there looking at her as if he's seeing a ghost. His body is tense, arms tightly crossed across his chest trying to figure out how to handle the awkward situation. As Ellie walks out of the kitchen bringing with her a tray filled with fresh cups of coffee, toast and jam, she says, "I have to apologize for Steve, I'm trying to get him to loosen up a bit, but clearly my plan has some flaws." Steve's lips curl up into a smile filled with affection for her words as she enters the room.

As the three of them sit down at the table, Ellie asks, "So, what brings you to Oahu?" Cath looks up from her cup of coffee, startled at the question not knowing exactly how to answer. "I have some information I needed to pass along to Steve" That breaks the moment and gets Steve's full attention.

The silence in the room is suddenly broken with a phone ringing in the background. "You'll have to excuse me, that's my line." Ellie stands to leave but not before placing her hand on Steve's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Without saying a word, she turns to leave the room, his eyes following her.

Turning back to Cath he asked, "So, what is this about?" The words are harsh and cold, still not having decided what to think about her sudden appearance. "How long?" Her question surprises Steve, he frowns and asks "How long what?" Cath replied, "How long did it take you to get over me?" She sees the anger in Steve's eyes, realizing she had asked the wrong question. It only takes a couple of seconds for him to answer without yelling. "I thought you told me weren't coming back. The last time we talked you said you had found your place, and for me not to wait for you. This isn't something that happened overnight. It took some time, but Ellie's in my life now and we're very happy together."

Not quite sure why, a sudden feeling of jealousy crossed over her. Yes, she had told him to move on, but seeing that he had was painful. Their separation had given her time to think about their relationship. She was sure she had loved him at one time, but wasn't so sure now. "I know I told you to…" Cath said. Steve interrupted her saying, "What? You're here wanting me to take you back? It doesn't work that way. You hurt me when you told me to move on, but I did what was best for me. Can't you at least respect that?"

Cath had never seen Steve so angry and distressed. This is not how she wanted things to go. She was not expecting kisses and roses, but this was clearly a disaster. "I'm sorry, I was surprised to see you here with someone and reacted without thinking." She hoped this would calm Steve a little and they could get back to the real reason for her return.

"I came back to let you know that I've come across intelligence that a nuclear bomb is on the island. My sources say there is less than 48 hours to find it before it's sold and moved off the Island." Steve looked at her with bewildered expression on his face, "How did you get this intel?" A feeling of awkwardness filled the air in the room. Realizing she was going to have to tell him the truth, she looked down at her still full cup of coffee before blurting it out. "After you left Afghanistan, the CIA found out I was still in the country. They recruited me to work for them and provided me with the resources I needed to find Najib." Looking up, Cath knew it was going be bad the moment she saw him close his eyes and start shaking his head. After that it was all a blur. The yelling started. Shouting at her to leave his house.

"I can't leave Steve, there's a nuclear bomb out there. You're going to need my help to find it." Unable to look at her, Steve said, "You lied to me Cath. You lied to the team. We all thought you were helping to protect a village and teaching. Instead I find out you were actually working with the CIA!" Steve knew he needed to focus on the bomb. "Cath, I can't talk to you about this. You need to leave. Now."

Knowing there was nothing she could say to make things better, Cath decided it would probably be best for her to leave. Walking toward the front door, she hears Ellie running down the stairs with a startled look on her face, wondering what all the yelling was about. Suddenly she doesn't look as friendly as she did earlier when they first met.

As she closed the door behind her, she turned, seeing Ellie walk toward Steve wrapping her arms around him. They hugged tightly as Ellie spoke to him, softly whispering in his ear. Seeing the anger leave Steve's body and a calmness fill the air, she knew this was no longer her home.


	2. Chapter 2

**An Unexpected Return**

**Chapter 2**

**Authors Note**: When we came up with the idea for this story, we wanted to explore the emotional side of Steve. How he would react to Catherine returning to Hawaii after being gone for a year, after her phone call telling him not to wait for her. Just what would this be like? We hope we haven't disappointed you with our interpretation of what this might have been like.

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The Island was safe. They had found the buyer and stopped a potential international crisis. They had criss-crossed the Island following more leads than they had time. The resources used had been enormous. HPD, Homeland Security, no agency spared. In the end though, it had been Catherine, who with her CIA resources, had found the buyer. It turned out the buyer hadn't planned on shipping the weapon to the Middle East. Instead, he had planned on using it inside the Continental US. A relieved Governor Denning had insisted on a final briefing, but after taking one look at Steve, seeing the exhaustion, both physical and mental, decided that it could wait until Monday. Grateful for the reprieve, all Steve could think about that moment was crawling into his bed and forgetting the world for at least the next twelve hours.

Returning from his meeting with Governor, Steve sat down in his office, finally allowing himself to relax, but only for a moment. His mind immediately turned to forty-eight hours earlier. Forty-eight hours, he thought, shaking his head. So much had happened in that short amount of time. Forty-eight hours since she had suddenly appeared in his backyard, telling him there was credible intelligence that a nuclear bomb was on the Island. Forty-eight hours since she had blurted out the real reason for her staying in Afghanistan. It hadn't been to protect the village and teach like he thought. Instead, she had stayed behind as a covert operative for the CIA. He wondered what made her feel like she had to lie to him. She had lied about where she was, what she was doing. He even wondered if her telling him she loved him had been a lie as well. So many lies and he knew he needed answers, some of which he probably wouldn't like.

He stood up and walked around his desk looking out into the bullpen. The rest of the team was in their offices, feeling the same exhaustion Steve felt, but continued to work through the mountain of paperwork that had been created. Cath stood at the Surface Table processing the last bits of Intel they had gathered, knowing her superiors would want to see it for themselves. Steve sat down on the edge of his desk, bending his head down toward the floor, feeling a sense of guilt come over him for having avoided her. He knew they needed to talk, but he had chosen to keep their interactions strictly to work issues. Looking up, he found Cath walking toward his office. She stopped short at the door, "Steve…" He interrupted her "I know, we need to talk, but now isn't a good time. There's a mountain of paperwork we need to finish and we could both use a decent night's sleep." Cath allowed herself a small smile, both relieved and grateful that he was at least willing to give her the chance to explain. "Why don't you come by the house tomorrow, say around 10:00?" he said. Cath replied, 'Sounds good."

Steve pulled into his driveway happy to be home. His eyes were bloodshot from no sleep, he wore the same rumpled cargo pants and t-shirt he had put on forty-eight hours ago and all he could think about was taking a shower and washing the grime off his body. He got out of the truck walking toward the front door. 'We won today" he said out loud to no one in particular. Suddenly a voice startled him. It was Ellie's. "I'm glad you won." She said, giving him a smile that always made him feel at home. "Why don't you go take a shower while I fix you something to eat?" "Thanks, that sounds great," he said heading up the stairs.

They both stood up from the table picking up their empty plates. "You sure you're ok?" she asked him with worried eyes. He looked at her, grateful for her concern. "Yeah, I'm just really tired. A good night's sleep and I'll be good as new" he joked. Ellie knew better. "I'm serious Steve, you were pretty upset when Catherine showed up and you've just spent the last forty-eight hours working with her on a very delicate case. I just want to make sure you're ok." Steve knew he couldn't hide from her. Ellie always seemed to be able to read him, something he had come to appreciate. Sighing, he told her the truth "It was stressful. It wasn't just the case. I intentionally avoided her the whole time. I tried to keep it professional, but I know the others could tell something was wrong." Ellie paused before asking, "Did you talk to Danny at least?" Steve chuckled, knowing that Ellie would ask him that question. "No, I didn't want to add my problems to an already very busy day. Besides, he has his hands full trying to figure out how to handle Rachel's latest news." Ellie nodded and smiled at him, understanding what he meant. "I get it. Probably a good idea," she said.

"So when do you plan on talking with her?" she asked. "She's going to come by the house tomorrow morning" Steve replied. "Would you like me to be here?" Ellie asked. Surprised by her question, he replied, "Don't be worried. I can handle it. I'm still angry, but I need to at least give her a chance to explain." Ellie moved closer to him, setting down the plates before she wrapped her arms around his body. Steve took his arms and wrapped them around her waist, finding himself clinging to her. The scent of her perfume, the tickle of her hair, the warmth of her body. All the things he had grown to love. "Whatever happens, call me," she whispered into his ear. "Yes ma'am," he joked. He squeezed her a little tighter, and then placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

The next morning Steve woke up thinking that whoever had said sleep is overrated was a liar. He felt refreshed, having slept ten hours, ready to start the day. After his swim and breakfast, he actually felt a little more human. Until the doorbell rang. Suddenly he felt a little less human, knowing that Cath was on the other side. Opening the door, he found a nervous Cath waiting for him. "Good morning," she said. Her attempt to lessen the tension made him step to the side of the door, inviting her in. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" he asked. "No, thanks, I'm already nervous enough as it is" she said with a little smile, just enough to clear some of the awkwardness that was filling the air.

They walked out to the backyard, each of them taking a seat in the Adirondack chairs they had both sat in so many times before. "So what really happened?" Steve asked. Cath knew Steve never wasted time with small talk, preferring instead the direct approach. Taking a deep breath and looking out towards the water, Cath began telling her story. "After we talked when you got back to Hawaii I had some really good leads on where Najib was being held, but I always seemed a day behind. After about a week, I was approached by man. He knew who I was and told me he could help me find Najib. I wasn't sure I could trust him so instead of agreeing to his offer right way, I called some of my contacts to see if they had any information on him." Pausing, Cath took a moment to look at Steve. He was calm and focused on her and the story she was telling. "Go big or go home" she though. She knew he wouldn't be near as calm when she continued with her story.

"My contacts assured me it was safe to meet with him so we arranged a time to meet." She took a deep breath, knowing the next part would shock him. "Only problem is, he didn't show up. Your Mother did instead." Steve interrupted her with a voice brimming with anger, "Doris, her name is Doris. My mother died in a car accident years ago." Cath nodded, understanding his anger. She continued, "Doris told me she could help me find Najib. That she had the resources to find him and the other children. But she also wanted me to come in and work for the Agency. She said my background and training in Naval Intelligence made me the perfect candidate. I told her I needed some time to think about it. To think about what all it meant. Time to think about just how much my life would change if I accepted her offer. After a couple days I decided to accept her offer to help find Najib."

Cath stood up, running her hand through her hair, trying to get rid of the nervous energy she felt. She paced back and forth before continuing. "Once Doris provided me with the resources I needed, it didn't take long to find Najib and return him to his parents. My mission was over but I felt so lost. It felt just like when Billy died. I'd lost my sense of purpose. Going back to the Navy wasn't an option. We both know Five-0 was just a temporary fix. It wasn't going to be enough. So I called Doris and asked if the job offer was still there. You know working in Intelligence is what I've always done. It's what I'm good at. Damn good."

Steve stood up, looking out toward the ocean as he tried to clear his mind. Too many questions and feelings were clouding his thoughts. Cath was waiting for him to react, to say something, anything. After a few moments Steve sat back down and began ask her questions. "When you called me, telling me not to wait for you, where were you?" Cath knew she hadn't handled the phone call well and what she was about to tell him wasn't good. "I was in Colombia with your moth…, I mean Doris. She told me it wasn't safe telling you the truth and that I would never be able to give you the stable life you need. She was right Steve; I didn't want to come back. There was nothing waiting for me here" Opening his mouth to ask her what she meant, she held her hand up to stop him, quickly responding, "We need to be honest with each other Steve. The way we loved each other was not meant to last forever. After I left the Navy we grew apart. We weren't always the most loving couple. I didn't want to lie to you, but at the time I felt I had no choice. I did what I had to do."

Steve shook his head, not knowing what as worse. The truth about their relationship; or the fact that Cath was working with Doris. Of all the people she could be working with, his mother. The woman who not only kept finding ways to avoid him but now she was even taking people he cared about away from him. "You should have told me, Cath. I deserved to know the truth. Do you really thing you can trust Doris? Do you know she sacrificed Danny in order to keep me out of jail? And you were there with her in Colombia? You knew what was happening and you couldn't warn me?" Cath replied, "It's my job Steve, I couldn't tell you. We sent Joe to help you."

Steve stood up walking away from her. He could feel the anger building up inside of him. "Stay calm," he told himself. This was going to be his only chance to find out the truth. He knew Cath working for the CIA meant she was leaving for good, maybe coming back for some brief missions but then vanish again as soon as it was over. He knew he would probably never see her again. Turning toward her he said, "I think it's better if you leave now. I have all the answers I need. I'm sure you have a new assignment waiting for you." Cath walked over him, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder but decided against it. The tension she could see told her it was not a good idea. Instead, she stepped in front of him, looking him in the eyes, "Goodbye Steve. Take care of yourself." She said. It took everything Steve had to not ruin the moment voicing the repressed frustration about the secrets and lies that seemed to surround Doris. "Goodbye Cath."

Steve heard Cath's car pull out of the driveway. He moved down toward the edge of the water, feeling it lap at his feet. He lost track of time, watching the ocean and wondering when lies and secrets became such a big part of his life, suddenly felt old and tired. The sudden ringing of his phone shook him from his thoughts. Not bothering to look to see who was calling, he answered "McGarrett." Greeted with a familiar Aussie accent. "Hi". "Hey, you" he replied, a smile forming on his lips. Ellie continued, "Want me to bring home dinner? I was thinking I could stop by Kamekona's and pick us up some Shrimp Plates." Ellie's voice and the normalcy of the conversation brought him back to his current life. "Sounds great. Pick up some Longboards too, I have a lot to tell you." he replied with a rough voice. "Don't worry, I got you," she said. Ellie got him and he couldn't have been happier.

THE END.


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